Newsline: Foreign embassy staff in hot water in London after offences surface

The Foreign Office said diplomatic staff working in embassies in Britain have been accused of committing 11 “serious and significant” human trafficking and child sex offences. According to the BBC, the allegations include someone at the Mexican embassy allegedly causing a child aged 13 to 15 to watch or look at an image of sexual activity.The person is accused of making an indecent image of a child and using threatening or abusive or insulting words or behaviour to cause harassment or alarm or distress. The Saudi Arabian embassy is also under fire for allegedly committing the offence of human trafficking into the UK for the purposes of exploitation, specifically domestic servitude, slavery or servitude or forced or compulsory labour. Also, someone at the Gabonese embassy was accused of actual bodily harm. Foreign secretary Boris Johnson said in a statement: “Around 22,500 people are entitled to diplomatic immunity in the United Kingdom, and the majority of diplomats abide by UK law. “The number of alleged serious crimes committed by members of the diplomatic community in the UK is proportionately low.”